A master of his material . . . an unusually competent and humane police procedural

The hallmarks of Val McDermid or Ian Rankin: it's dark, violent, noirish

Crime fiction's next big thing

Oswald is among the leaders in the new batch of excellent Scottish crime writers

The Dutch answer to the tsunami of Scandinavian thrillers

Many will relate to the fraught familial relationships, which are expertly realised in this tense contemporary novel ... the interactions are so utterly real that you get completely drawn into their world ... Healey writes with such an ease and naturalness that it carries you effortlessly forward

Written with captivating brilliance and oozing with tension, this is a novel you really do not want to miss

At once an absorbing thriller and a beautifully observed study of the relationship between mother and teenage daughter

Rich with emotional depth

Healey thoughtfully explores complex problems facing young women and families today and in Lana she has created a masterpiece of inarticulacy

An enjoyable novel about the complicated bonds of family life

A sharp and sympathetic description of the whole strange business of and having a teenage child - and of being one

A sobering journey into the underworld of the human psyche

Healey broadens the remit of the thriller...the author has managed a double feat here, creating a psychological thriller that meshes the homely with the gothic...the novel builds to a climax and the moving final sentence is formally and emotionally the perfect resolution

Quirky, humorous and entirely engrossing

It's as gripping as its predecessor

Beautifully written

A sensitive study of a mother-daughter relationship

A gripping tale ... a deeply affecting account of one woman's quiet but unyielding refusal to allow hope to succumb to helplessness and despair

I adored the forensic detail of Healey's writing and the wry, sharp take on millenial family life

Authentically and empathetically written

There's a winning irreverence to Healey's writing

[A] satisfying, cathartic mystery

A fast-paced, gripping read

Gripping

The achievement of this follow-up lies its finely drawn mother/daughter pairing and sharp take on the nitty-gritty of contemporary familial relationships...the desperate love of a parent for a child they cannot know is wonderfully true to life

The novel's real strength, though, lies in its examination of such intimate familial ties and the incredulity that in a world of Google Earth, rolling news and endless online discussion groups, something - a mystery - could still go unmapped. And the conundrum isn't even so much where Lana has been, but how parents can connect with their children in such dilemmas, and how many of life's problems cannot be immediately or easily solved

Courageous...intriguing...entertaining

A beautiful exploration of mental health and love

The sequel to Beartown is finally here, and it does not disappoint.

This is a tale of the pitfalls of group mentality as well as the loss of an
innocence we all take for granted - and it will grip you from start to finish.

Just as the cult TV hit Friday Night Lights wasn't just about high-school
football, this sequel to Beartown is about more than small-town hockey.
Us Against You is a story of hopes, dreams, loyalty, friendship, and - after
someone is left for dead - the lengths people will go to for the love of the game.

We have a rare book for you. [Us Against You] is not only about hockeyand sports. It's about everything that makes a man a man.

Backman uses an abundance of thrilling hints about upcoming events,
and it works. You simply have to continue reading. The story is
wonderful, deeply touching and very thought-provoking, and hats off
again to the author's ability to portray people and trends in society. The
novel plays on your entire register of emotions, and you live and breathe
alongside the many different characters, all of which are precisely and empathetically depicted.

A beautiful and brutal drama.

"Fredrik Backman is one of Sweden's best authors. He's mastered how
to depict a village and its citizens so that you both love and hate them.
/.../ Backman writes with emotion, and it goes straight to your heart. /.../
As always with Backman, there's still hope for humanity, because wherethere is violence and hatred, there is also forgiveness and love."

Us Against You is an excellent novel that's easy to read and skillfully
handles great themes. /.../ The world created by Backman lives andbreathes and the characters are both human and complex.

Backman keeps you hooked from the first to the last page. For allBeartown fans, Us Against You feels like coming home.

Fredrik Backman writes wonderfully about men, with a love and
understanding for the ones who would rather solve conflicts with theirfists. It's hard not to love it.

Backman knows how to construct a thrilling plot, and what he writes
engages. /.../ And when he hits his stride among the emotions, the
sentimental turns into an asset - like a hockey puck straight to the heart.

The perfect book for the beach.

The most authentic, gripping presidential thriller ever.

The perfect book for the beach: a big, fast-paced, twisty engrossing thriller packed with spectacular detail of what it is really like to be President of the United States.

Fast-paced is too inadequate a description for this dark, suspense-filled tale.

Both a first-rate thriller and fascinating insight into the goings on within the White House.

A page-turner from start to finish

Insightful and gripping

A top-notch thriller.